StudyQA — Master: Chinese Politics, Foreign Policy, and International Relations

Description Contents Requirements Funding

In 1997, Tsinghua University established the Institute for International Studies, the predecessor of the International Relations Department (abbreviated IR department). The Institute’s outstanding achievements in teaching and research during the more than ten years of its existence provided a strong basis for the creation of the IR Department. Graduates of the Department have pursued careers at institutions of higher education, major national research institutions, government departments, foreign affairs organizations, media and various corporations. A number of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students have continued their studies at well-known universities worldwide. The IR department has 18 faculty members with significant academic and research experience. They all hold PhD degrees from leading international and Chinese universities such as UC Berkley, Columbia University, Yale University, Cornell University, Tsinghua University and Peking University.

In 2010, the Department launched a Master’s degree program in English in addition to its Chinese program. The department is committed to a better understanding of Chinese politics, China’s role in international relations as well as China’s foreign policy through inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural dialogue. Graduates of the program will be qualified to be administrative officers and policy analysts in various levels of governments, think tanks, international organizations, multinational corporations and international media. The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study, including completion of the course curriculum and the Master thesis. The name of the program has been changed to Master’s Program in Chinese Politics, Foreign Policy, and International Relations (CPFP) since July, 2013.

To provide students with more extra-curricular academic activities, the Department successfully initiated the Carnegie-Tsinghua Distinguished Speaker Program in 2010, in which established scholars and policy makers are invited to give lectures on various aspects of international relations and policy making. The Department also launched Tsinghua Ambassador Talks at the beginning of Spring 2012. This event allows students to connect IR theory with diplomatic practice, providing a unique opportunity to engage in pressing political issues through an informal dialogue with each country’s highest representative in China, the Ambassador.

The CPFP program annually takes in about 30 students. In the 2014 fall semester, 66 students from 33 countries are registered in the program. A total of 160 students from 51 countries have studied in the program by September 2014. The department has some full scholarships, full tuition waivers as well as partial tuition waivers to outstanding applicants on a competitive basis.

Chinese Culture and Society
Chinese Language
Literature Review and Research Proposal
Academic Activities
Academic Introductions to International Relations
Research Design and Writing
Ancient Chinese Thoughts on International Relations
Arms Control and International Security
Comparative Democratization and China
Comparative Politics
Contemporary Theories in International Politics
International and Comparative Political Economy
Politics and Government in China
Principles of Area Studies
Public Diplomacy: Chinese and Global Perspectives
Regional Diplomacy: China and South Asia
Research Method in International Relations
Seminar on Critical Issues and Global Governance
Theory and Practice of Chinese Foreign Relations
US-China Relations
China in the developing world
Introduction to Chinese Politics

Requirements

Applicant should have a Bachelor degree or equivalent academic background, and is fluent in English.
The completed Foreigner's Application Form for Admission to Graduate Programs of Tsinghua University with 2-inch recent photo, printed and signed by the applicant.
Personal statement.
The original or the notarial degree certificate or proof of education in academic institution (need to submit original or notarial degree certificate after being awarded), and academic transcript. The degree certificate and academic transcript must be officially sealed. All the original or the notarial ones will be permanently kept in students’ archives by the university.
Two academic recommendation letters from scholars of associate professorship or higher (must show referee’s phone number and email address on the letter).
Copy of the page with personal information in the passport (personal and ordinary passport).
The completed Application Form for Tsinghua University Scholarship (if applicable, original).
For students from countries where English is not the native language, some proof of English proficiency (e.g., TOEFL, or IELTS, or record of study at English-speaking countries, or other relevant materials) needs to be added to the application materials.
The application fee is RMB 600 (non-refundable).